“Holka” conducted training for participants of the Network of Active Citizens

On June 1, a two-day training session concluded for participants of the Network of Active Citizens project, which is supported by the European Endowment for Democracy throughout 2024 and 2025. The event brought together ten activists from across Ukraine — including those defending the Svidovets massif in the Carpathians, forests in Kharkiv, and the green zones, water resources, and archaeological heritage of Kyiv and the Kyiv region.

Olena Sklyarenko, a representative of the community protecting Chernechyi Forest in Kyiv region, shared that participating in the Network has become a powerful motivator for local communities to take action:

“The lectures delivered by the Holka team and their creative workshop, the ‘Ministry of Magic,’ are all about professionalism, focus, and belief in results. And when that’s combined with warmth and soulfulness, it becomes a true source of inspiration. This is more than just theory — the knowledge and skills we’ve gained have become real, practical tools for our work in the civic sector. They’re helping us defend Chernechyi Forest, which is part of the European Emerald Network.

What’s especially moving is the Holka team’s belief in each person’s potential and their desire to help reveal it. That changes people. It inspires action. In an atmosphere of mutual support — where every participant felt seen and cared for — you grow wings. You want to create and to mend. It’s so important that even more activists get involved in this creative workshop. They really do give you wings.”

Participants of the “Network of Active Citizens” engage in facilitation games between lectures. These games help reveal different types of thinking and uncover leadership potential.

Just a few days after the training, a court hearing was held at the Supreme Court regarding the case of Chernechyi Forest. The civic initiative “Holka” prepared an advocacy video report to raise public awareness about the importance of the issue.

Iryna Fedoriv, the head of the “Holka” civic initiative, emphasized that the organization’s team has been providing advocacy support to participants’ cases throughout the year, since legal proceedings can drag on for years if they do not attract public attention:

“During wartime, the media’s focus naturally shifts to frontline events, and citizens’ security becomes the top priority — and that is absolutely understandable. But this war is being fought to protect Ukrainians’ right to build a democratic state and to ultimately become part of the European Union.

To defend democracy in such difficult times, we must provide maximum support to activists and make sure they feel that their work truly matters. When a war has dragged on for years, people can burn out and feel emotionally drained. That’s why we cannot let activists be left alone in complex and toxic battles over green zones and water resources — especially when they are forced to confront corruption schemes of developers and their lobbying in parliament.

The goal of our project is to stitch communities together and nurture grassroots leadership.

We would like to thank the European Endowment for Democracy and our media partners: Poglyad, Glavkom, Livyi Bereh, Dzerkalo Tyzhnia, and Censor.NET. Even in wartime, they continue to develop their media platforms and share the results of their work — reaching large audiences across the civic sector. Only by joining forces can we influence both public behavior and political culture.”

Fedoriv also expressed hope that by the time the next elections take place, citizens from the Network will become active participants in the political process and help civil society monitor the integrity of elections.

Additionally, within the project, analysts from the “Holka” initiative review current legislation and draft laws to identify corruption risks and potential violations of citizens’ rights.